


embrace the weirdness

by Lamachine



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: (but not really phone sex), F/F, Fluff and Humor, Phone Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-04 21:37:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4153908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lamachine/pseuds/Lamachine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>She was working for a sex line. Chloe was a phone sex operator.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Okay. That one, Beca needed time to process.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. monkey poop

**Author's Note:**

> Set after the first movie.

So, this whole captaining thing? It _really_ wasn’t Beca’s choice. She wanted Chloe to be leader of the Bellas once Aubrey was gone – and hadn’t Chloe failed Russian literature to do just that? Seriously, no one bought Chloe’s story about forgetting to turn in an essay on Chekov because she was too busy celebrating the Bellas’ win.

 

But Chloe had insisted that it was time for some new blood to take charge (whatever that meant), and Beca knew the only other volunteer would have been Amy. Which... well, Beca preferred not to think of what the Bellas would be if _Amy_ was in charge.

 

She loves her, really – everyone loves Amy, it’s like, her thing – but her ideas were not what Beca would call _ideal_. Especially not now, when she’s been texting Beca all morning because they’ve been working on a mash-up of Katy Perry’s _Roar_ and Wankelmut  & Emma Louise’s _My Head Is A Jungle_ , and Amy’s got it into her head that they should have monkeys with them while they dance.

 

Actual _monkeys_.

 

To which Beca had to agree that yes, it would definitely set the Bellas apart from their competition. But where would Beca even _find_ monkeys, let alone someone to train them to follow an actual choreography? And did Amy even think about who would take care of the monkey poop? Because monkeys poop, Amy. It _is_ an important thing to consider when suggesting they have live-animal-props included in their sets.

 

Anyway, Beca had been stuck with captaining duty for a few weeks now and it sucked _a lot_. It took all her free time and thank god that she didn’t have a boyfriend anymore, because between the Bellas and classes? Beca was going nuts.

 

And not the fun, _I’m so excited about our next show_ nuts. The irritating, frustrating, _everyone wants a piece of me_ nuts.

 

It was all Chloe’s fault, too. If she had agreed to be captain of the Bellas, then Beca wouldn’t have spent the better part of her morning discussing monkey poop.

 

So Beca really felt no guilt when she stormed into Chloe’s apartment that afternoon, despite Chloe’s “ _2 busy w/ books; see u @ rehearsal_ ”. Because hey, when Beca asked to be left alone, she was still getting five texts a minute, courtesy of the Bellas, so... yeah.

 

If Beca had to deal with the crazies, then Chloe would have to deal with Beca.

 

Besides – her frustration flared up a bit as she heard Chloe’s voice coming from the kitchen – Chloe wasn’t even _studying_. She was talking with someone; on the phone, Beca guessed when she couldn’t hear the second half of the conversation.

 

“Hm-mm, very sore,” Chloe told someone on the other line. She didn’t sound half as cheerful as she usually was. “I’d like that, yes,” Chloe added in a low, strangely enticing voice.

 

Beca frowned – did Chloe have a new boyfriend already? But she hadn’t mentioned seeing anyone lately. In fact, she had even told her fellow Bellas that she was taking a break from boys and girls alike to focus on herself, and maybe wait for the right person instead of jumping into something new.

 

Not that Beca had memorised that whole conversation. Not that she replayed it in her mind sometimes, trying to decipher some secret meaning behind the words.

 

Not that Beca had been both relieved and disappointed at the idea that Chloe didn’t want to date anyone at the moment.

 

“It feels really good baby,” Chloe continued, her tone switching to sensuous.

 

Suddenly aware that she was effectively spying on Chloe (and her potential boyfriend or girlfriend that Beca really did not care about but already kind of hated), Beca guessed it was time to reveal her presence before things got (more) embarrassing.

 

She stepped into Chloe’s kitchen with a shy wave of the hand, finding Chloe sitting at her table with a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle in front of her. There was nothing embarrassing about the scene, and yet Chloe’s eyes widened, as if startled.

 

But despite the obvious surprise, Chloe’s voice was sultry when she spoke again, “mmm yeah don’t stop – I love your hands baby they’re so strong.”

 

The black cellphone in Chloe’s hand wasn’t her usual iPhone, but some Android Beca had never seen before. Chloe blocked its microphone with one thumb, rising from her seat. “What the hell are you doing here?” she whispered, looking at Beca as if horrified. Before Beca could answer, Chloe’s eyes darted towards the floor as she bit her lower lip. “Oh yeah? Would you like to show me?” she teased over the phone.

 

Confused, Beca crossed her arms. In her pocket, her own cellphone was still vibrating from what were no doubt another set of texts from Amy – what if she had realised tigers would be better than monkeys?

 

Beca sighed, annoyed. “Could you hang up, Chlo?”

 

Not that she was jealous someone was getting more action than she had in months – well, that definitely didn’t help Beca’s mood, but it wasn’t about that. Nor was it about the fact that the _someone_ in question was Chloe, and that Beca kind of had a thing for her that she had kind of thought of telling her about before the whole me-break, no-more-dating situation.

 

No, this was about the fact that, unrequited crush or not, it wasn’t very polite to continue having phone sex with someone while your friend needed to talk to you about the dangers of monkey poop. And possibly tigers.

 

“Like, could you hang up _now_?” Beca insisted.

 

Chloe ran a hand through her hair, obviously uncomfortable. “You know what you’re doing, don’t you?” her voice had turned even more seductive, almost erotic, and Beca rolled her eyes. What the actual fuck. “You know just what you’re doing to me.”

 

Stepping closer to Beca, Chloe moved the phone away from her ear, one index snaking its way into one of Beca’s belt loops, tugging gently. “I can’t hang up,” Chloe murmured in a rush, “it’s my job.”

 

Beca frowned. For starters, she didn’t even know that Chloe had a job – which kind of made sense, since she had her own apartment and everything. But that was a fucked up boss-employee relationship man, some weird, probably illegal stuff.

 

And then it dawned on her.

 

“Mmm yes take it off now,” Chloe nearly moaned, her face a mere inches away from Beca’s.

 

She was working for a sex line. Chloe was a phone sex operator.

 

Okay. That one, Beca needed time to process.

 

“I don’t care,” Chloe’s breathing had become ragged; “I need to _feel_ you.”

 

Mouth turning dry, Beca’s cheeks burned all the way up to her ears. Her gut twisting both in jealousy and (weirdly but not surprisingly) arousal, she swallowed hard. Stunned, she remained immobile, feeling nothing but the racing of her heart and the solid, almost reassuring presence of the kitchen counter she was leaning on.

 

“Inside me, yes,” Chloe specified as she rolled her eyes, putting a hand over the phone, “do you want a glass of water or something?”

 

Beca blinked – the switch from hot-and-bothered Chloe to usual-Chloe giving her whiplash. She must have nodded, because Chloe started going through her cupboard, trying to find a clean glass.

 

“Oh baby, I like it when you take charge,” she encouraged the stranger on the line as she poured Beca a glass of water, the phone secured between her cheek and shoulder. Obviously amused at Beca’s unnatural stillness, Chloe winked at her before she offered her the glass.

 

“Should I...?” Beca pointed towards the living room, “because you...” she gestured towards Chloe, awkward.

 

“I don’t mind,” Chloe shrugged before she turned her attention back to the person on the other end of the call. “It’s so big,” she moaned, and as Beca’s cheeks flared up in embarrassment again, Chloe muted the microphone again. “Men,” she sighed.

 

A small laugh escaped Beca’s lips, quickly smothered by Chloe’s palm pressed against her mouth. With large blue eyes silently insisting for her to be quiet, Beca found it even harder not to laugh. Suddenly feeling a bit childish, she let her tongue peek out, wetting Chloe’s palm.

 

“Oh this feels so good,” Chloe whined over the phone even as she wiped her hand on her jeans, glaring at Beca with mischief. Something in the way she scrunched up her nose made Beca’s heart melt for a hot second.

 

With her back still pressed against the kitchen counter and Chloe standing so close, Beca barely dared to breathe – Chloe’s vanilla-scented shampoo mixed awfully well with the scent of freshly brewed coffee.

 

“Yes, like this,” Chloe whimpered, the faked lust coating Chloe’s words still enough to make Beca’s insides turn into lava. “I want you to fuck me harder.”

 

At the sheer crudeness, Beca blinked, as if waking up from a stupor. Her eyes found Chloe’s, whose cheeks were also starting to redden.

 

“I’ll, hm...” Beca whispered, embarrassed; “yeah. I’ll be...”

 

She pointed towards the living room before she nearly ran out of the kitchen, Chloe’s moans as a soundtrack to her escape. She dropped down on Chloe’s small couch and downed the cold water, almost hoping it was vodka. Even through the wall, she could still hear Chloe’s voice, the way she cried out in (phony, right?) almost orgasmic pleasure – no one sounded like that.

 

Right?

 

Beca reached for her headphones in her bag – all that _moaning_ , seriously, no one was that _loud_ , Jesus – and quickly turned her iPod on. Silently cursing slow intros, Beca still heard Chloe’s now constant flow of “oh my god, oh my god” and winced.

 

Knees folded against her chest, Beca turned up the volume, trying to ignore the weird sensations burning inside her chest. Mostly it wasn’t unlike having been stung by a bee – her entire skin was blazing hot, and she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, and she didn’t know what to do with her hands but knew she shouldn’t scratch that itch.

 

But it bothered her. A lot.

 

Almost as much as it always did when Chloe had a fling and they kissed in front of Beca like they didn’t _know_.

 

It was unsettling to think that she had no idea that Chloe was working for a sex line to pay rent. But more than that, way more than that, it troubled her that other people – people that weren’t Beca – had been privy to _that_ side of Chloe.

 

Sure, it was fake. But it was still Chloe.

 

 _Her_ Chloe.

 

“Hey,” the culprit smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

 

Beca pushed her headphones off her ears, slightly relieved when she noticed Chloe had left the phone behind before joining her in the living room.

 

“I logged off,” Chloe promised.

 

Absently, Beca wondered why she felt so sad all of a sudden, and why Chloe seemed so oddly quiet. “Won’t that like, get you in trouble?”

 

Chloe shrugged. “My boss likes me,” she answered with a sigh, crossing the room to drop down on the couch beside Beca.

 

“Yeah, I bet he does,” Beca crossed her arms, unable to hide the bitterness of her tone.

 

Instead of getting angry with her, Chloe took in a deep breath. “Well, I’m not his top girl, if you must know,” she nudged Beca with her elbow until Beca un-stiffened a bit.

 

“Why’s that?” Beca forced herself to ask, her throat achingly tightened. “’Cause _you_ look...” she averted her eyes, blinking. “I mean, you’re...” Beca twisted her headphones’ cord around her index; a nervous habit she couldn’t shake, lately. “You’re Chloe, you know,” she ended up shrugging.

 

Chloe laughed lightly, releasing a bit of the awkward tension between them. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she smiled warmly, turning around to face Beca. “But it’s not about the looks; it’s all about the voice.”

 

Beca nodded, her heart still beating so loud, she was grateful that she hadn’t actually turned her music off. At least Chloe’s scarily well-developed sense of hearing wouldn’t be able to pick up Beca’s crazy heartbeats. “Is that, um,” she felt her cheeks burning up at the reminder of the sultry voice she had never heard before; “is that why you picked that job?”

 

“I never thought about it that way before,” Chloe looked pensive for a moment, until she shook her head. “Really though, when I applied I thought it was customer service, but with like, a gigantic paycheck.”

 

“Customer service,” Beca repeated, lips curled up in distaste. “ _Gross_.”

 

Chloe chuckled again, one arm snaking its way around Beca’s shoulder, bringing her closer. “Well when you say it like that,” she shook her head and winced, “it’s really gross, yeah.”

 

Silence fell on both of them, only disrupted by the low beats emerging from Beca’s headphones, the song unrecognisable.

 

“So it’s a money thing,” Beca bit her lower lip.

 

“It’s hard to afford this place without Bree,” Chloe sighed as she gazed at her living room, half-empty now that Aubrey had moved out, “but it’s home, you know?”

 

“And it’s not... I mean,” Beca hesitated, slightly annoyed at her own embarrassment, “like, no one knows it’s _you_ , right?”

 

Chloe’s eyes brightened for a few seconds. “It’s totally safe Bec’,” she promised. As one thumb drew circles on Beca’s shoulder, Chloe’s second hand clasped around Beca’s, linking their fingers together.

 

“It’s weird though,” Beca breathed out, her eyes at their intertwined fingers. She’d never stop being amazed at how well they fit together.

 

But it _was_ weird, Chloe’s job. Not prostitution really but it was still – you know; getting guys off. And girls? Did girls call? She wanted to ask but also didn’t want to know.

 

“It’s pretty soft,” Chloe squeezed Beca’s hand in reassurance. “The line’s not for weird kinks or anything, and if I don’t feel comfortable or safe I can always hang up.”

 

Beca nodded, her ears buzzing so loudly that she could barely focus on Chloe’s words. “But it _is_ safe, right?”

 

Chloe let out a pleased hum before her head came to rest on Beca’s shoulder. “Totes.”

 

“Okay,” Beca agreed – as if it was her place to agree on anything. She felt weirded out not only by Chloe’s unusual job, but also by her own reaction to it. How strangely possessive she was feeling all of a sudden; like Chloe was, well. _Hers_ , kind of.

 

But not in a creepy way, she promised herself. Or at least, she hoped so.

 

“Okay,” Chloe breathed out. She pulled apart for a second and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Beca’s head. “Hey, Beca?”

 

Beca hummed, stomach still twisted in knots.

 

“I, hm... I don’t sound like that,” Chloe admitted, her eyes boring into Beca’s cheek.

 

Frowning, Beca repressed the urge to look at Chloe. She was awfully close, and the living room was strangely hot, and Beca really wished they weren’t still talking about this. “What?” she asked anyway, trying to sound detached.

 

Chloe’s index ran over Beca’s curls, pushing the hair off her face. “I just, I want you to know that I don’t _actually_ sound like that. That’s not like, me. _At all_.”

 

Beca swallowed hard as she realised what Chloe meant. “I wasn’t... dude,” Beca shook her head, her cheeks turning red again, “I didn’t think that.”

 

Chloe seemed disappointed at that, and Beca ridiculously felt responsible for it. “I mean, it was believable,” she continued in one breath, “A+ performance,” she offered a thumb’s up and a crooked smile.

 

“You’re such a nerd,” Chloe laughed and shook her head, as if Beca was hopeless.

 

“No seriously,” Beca joked again when Chloe moved apart slightly. “If I had been that dude I would’ve been like, _really_ into you.”

 

“As opposed to now?” Chloe’s tongue ran over her lower lip absently while she leaned in, “where you’re not at all into me?”

 

Beca’s eyes flicked to Chloe’s lips, her heart skipping a beat. “Umm,” Beca hesitated. Before she could answer, her cellphone vibrated loudly with the arrival of a few new text messages.

 

“Ah, yes,” Beca cleared her throat, pulling out her phone from her pocket, “we’re in the middle of a Bella crisis.”

 

Chloe sighed, almost pouting as she stole Beca’s phone, unlocking it (seriously, how did she always manage to memorise Beca’s password?) and going through the latest conversations.

 

“Monkeys?” Chloe raised an eyebrow. “What the hell?”

 

Maybe Amy’s crazy ideas weren’t all bad after all – Beca made a mental note to thank her for the interruption later.

 

“Did she even think that we would have to feed them?” Chloe continued, shaking her head. “Oh my god,” she seemed to realise something.

 

Beca nodded, “monkey poop?”

 

“Monkey poop,” Chloe confirmed with a sigh. “And fleas.”

 

“Oh, good one,” Beca noted, “text her that before she rents a whole zoo.”

 

So what if Chloe’s job was pretty weird, Beca thought as she gazed at her, joyfully texting Amy from Beca’s phone. Captaining the Bellas was in itself a whole new level of strange, Beca decided as she settled on spending the rest of the afternoon on Chloe’s couch, making a list of the pros and cons of performing with livestock.

 

Beca was clearly surrounded with weirdness anyway; she might as well embrace it.


	2. australoracism

No matter how she had fought to be allowed to create arrangements for the Bellas, sometimes Beca really wished she hadn’t. Because things would be easy if they were still singing _The Sign_ , right? Their set would be extremely boring and yeah, maybe Beca wouldn’t have amazing friends and the pride of having won an ICCA championship, but she also wouldn’t be stuck on this stupid mix.

 

And being stuck was the worst. Worse than Stacie’s embarrassing stories and Flo’s is-this-a-joke-or-should-I-call-the-UN anecdotes. It was more horrible than when Amy picked the restaurant they’d go to, and more terrifying than that time Cynthia Rose took them to karaoke and revealed herself as a closeted country music lover.

 

(Seriously, Shania Twain? And not even the better known, _That Don’t Impress Me Much_ shit - the lesser known, sappy _From This Moment On_ songs.)

 

Being stuck on a mix was even worse than that time Chloe arrived at rehearsal with a guy called Vaughn who had long hair and nipple piercings and a tendency to shove his tongue down Chloe’s throat at the most inappropriate moments.

 

Even months after Chloe had broken up with him, Beca still shivered in disgust at the thought.

 

So Beca had tried her usual tricks to get unstuck - she had drank liters of coffee, had tried reading a book. She had even went for a walk, and called Jesse to listen to him talking about whatever movie he had seen last. Anything to get her mind off her stupid arrangement, so that she could go back to it with a fresh set of eyes - well, ears.

 

It didn’t help that all the while, Cynthia Rose texted her pictures of suggested moves they could try during their number. As if Beca had time for that.

 

She had just a few hours before rehearsal, and couldn’t get there empty ended. So it was time to forget that dumb rule of hers, and hang out at Chloe’s. That was, even though it freaked her out to think that she usually felt more at ease creating something while sitting on Chloe’s couch than in her own bedroom.

 

That was definitely not normal friend behavior. Beca should get that checked out.

 

Chloe picked up after the third ring, before Beca had time to guess which song was her new ringtone. Like clockwork, Chloe changed it every Monday morning, and it usually gave a good indication of her current mood. Maybe it was _I Knew You Were Trouble_ again (Beca couldn’t believe that had been her song for the two weeks of the Vaughn era) or maybe _Starships_? Something pop and cheesy, for sure; something that would make Beca roll her eyes so freaking hard.

 

Really, sometimes she couldn’t figure out why the hell she crushed so badly on a girl that thought P!nk was punk-rock.

 

Panting, Chloe answered with a ragged, “mmm yes?”

 

Beca’s cheeks burnt at the low voice; how it curled, so familiar, in her ears. The heavy breathing, the hum, it was all kind of weirdly seductive- and not at all what Beca had expected. “Um, did I call the wrong phone Chlo?”

 

“What?” she asked, obviously confused. Beca resisted the urge to facepalm; of course the one time she’d make a joke about Chloe’s embarrassing job, Chloe wouldn’t get it and Beca would have to explain. “Oh,” she seemed to understand, and Beca finally stopped blushing, ”no I was just running.”

 

“And you picked up anyway?” Beca noted, surprised. It wasn’t like she really understood the point of jogging and all, but Beca guessed that you weren’t supposed to stop in the middle of it. Wasn’t that why weirdos jumped from one feet to another when standing at intersections, waiting for the green light?

 

On the other side of the line, the loud panting continued and Beca tried her best not to picture a sweaty Chloe throwing water down her neck to cool down. Nope, that line of thought led to nothing good. “Well, you called, so…” Chloe said so earnestly that Beca’s chest tightened. Chloe had picked up because it was _Beca_ calling.

 

But that was obviously also a thought to avoid. “You usually text so I’m guessing there’s an emergency?”

 

“Hey I call people sometimes,” Beca protested.

 

“For pizza deliveries, and even then you get me do it,” Chloe mocked gently. “So what’s up?”

 

Beca sighed. It was kind of ridiculous, now that she thought of it, to be stuck over such a dumb thing - but she couldn’t help it. “Stacie wants me to add Will.i.am’s _That Power_ to the set,” she pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “And it fits like, _really_ well.”

 

Chloe chuckled, her voice finally returning to normal. “Okay, then what’s the problem?”

 

She looked at her bedroom’s door as if someone was going to barge in on her at anytime - there was no way she was having this conversation in front of witnesses. “It’s Justin Bieber, Chlo,” she admitted aloud - but almost in a whisper. That catchy chorus had been in her head for hours because of Stace - she had _freaking Justin Bieber’s voice_ stuck in her head and that - that was some sort of torture, Beca was certain. “I’m drawing a line here – this pop thing is going too far.”

 

“Says the girl who sings Miley Cirus during road trips,” Chloe teased, and Beca could almost _hear_ the playful wink.

 

“It’s _Justin Bieber_ ,” Beca reiterated, still dead serious; “Canada’s most evil creation.”

 

Chloe laughed a little. “But if it fits well...”

 

Beca shook her head, even though Chloe couldn’t see. “Something else has to fit.”

 

“Okay,” Beca imagined how Chloe was probably nodding right now, and doing that cute expression where she turned all pensive and - this was another line of thought she had settled on avoiding. “What do you want us to do instead?”

 

That was the problem though; no other song seemed to work, and the arrangement had to be ready for tonight’s rehearsal.

 

“I don’t know,” Beca ran a hand through her hair, suddenly exhausted. “Look, I’m going crazy here.”

 

She didn’t have to say it - Chloe already knew what she needed. “Come hang out at my place,” she invited Beca as warmly as she always did, but with a slight hesitation. “I’m working this afternoon though. Just a few hours, but…”

 

“Bring noise-cancelling headphones, got ya,” Beca grinned.

 

“See you Bec’,” Chloe hung up with a cheerful voice, and Beca’s heart skipped a beat or two.

 

Absently reviewing the texts Cynthia Rose had sent her during her call - really, two new pictures in the course of five minutes? - Beca picked up her things and prepared to leave. But it was only when she received Stacie’s message suggesting they use lion whips - _kinky’s the way to go B_ \- that she threw her phone into her bag and decided to ignore it for a while.

 

 _A while_ , however, did not last until she reached Chloe’s door. In fact, as soon as Chloe answered the doorbell, Beca shoved her phone in her face.

 

“Do you _want_ to do this?” she asked in irritation.

 

The picture in question showed Cynthia Rose holding a fistful of Stacie’s hair and bending her in front of her. The move looked more pornographic than aesthetic, and brought some pink to Chloe’s cheeks.

 

“Umm,” she blinked, her eyes returning to Beca; “I guess it depends on who’s asking.”

 

“I’m trying to keep the sets around a PG-rating, you know,” Beca continued, a warm buzzing settling in her gut.

 

Chloe moved to the side to let her enter, smiling. “And we all appreciate your work,” she agreed as she closed the door and followed Beca in the kitchen. “I made coffee.”

 

“Oh my god,” Beca stared at her phone, startled by the latest picture the girls had texted her. So far every pose Cynthia Rose and Stacie had sent her were pretty suggestive, but this one had them all beat.

 

Chloe grabbed Beca’s phone and laughed. “Wow,” Chloe’s head bent to the side, curls bouncing freely. “That’s... really impressive.”

 

On Beca’s screen, Cynthia Rose held Stacie up at her waist as Stacie did the ‘spread eagle’ position, upside down, her hair almost brushing against the floor. Underneath the picture, the caption “how ‘bout we spread it B?” really completed the image.

 

“You _do_ realise they’re trying to find moves for the people who solo that set, right?” Beca shook her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “As in, you and I?”

 

Chloe smirked while she toyed with Beca’s phone; “well I bet you’re not that heavy,” she winked.

 

Beca’s knees nearly faltered, but she leaned against the counter to hide the sudden weakness. “Come on,” Chloe closed the distance between them, one arm wrapped around Beca, “climb on.”

 

“No thank you,” Beca pushed her off, her pulse almost deafening. “We are _not_ trying that.”

 

She sipped her coffee, hoping it would be enough of a distraction to make her forget that image.

 

“Like you straddling my waist would be so bad,” Chloe teased and Beca nearly choked on her coffee.

 

“I-” she blinked, one hand on her sternum, trying to catch her breath; “um, I need more caffeine.” Her voice strained with the words, she gestured towards her phone, and Chloe in general; “before I can handle all of this.”

 

Chloe laughed, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Girl, you could never handle this,” she tapped her ass.

 

As she dropped Beca’s phone on the counter and took a step back, Beca felt oddly relieved. “You’re _chirpy_ today,” she frowned. “I forgot you were that cheerful.”

 

“Shush, you like it,” Chloe grinned. “Besides, I have to work in fifteen.”

 

 _That_ put a dampener on things - which was probably a good thing, judging by the impossible speed of Beca’s pulse. She sighed at the sight of a new text; _‘so what do you think?_ ’ Cynthia Rose had asked for the tenth time.

 

“Who do you think is taking the pics?” Beca asked Chloe, changing the subject instead of answering Cynthia Rose’s messages.

 

Chloe seemed to seriously ponder the question for a few seconds; “Lilly.”

 

“No way,” Beca laughed, strangely comforted by the light turn of the conversation. “I’m thinking Amy probably. Or maybe Jessica.”

 

Chloe shook her head; “I’m telling you it’s Lilly.”

 

“And I’m telling you you’re wrong,” Beca challenged. “Wanna bet? Five dollars it’s Amy.”

 

Chuckling, Chloe poured herself a cup of coffee. “Alright, five dollars on Lilly.” Then, she frowned; “wait, what happens if it’s neither of them?”

 

Beca shrugged; “then we’re both losers.”

 

Bright eyes, Chloe leaned closer and Beca swallowed hard. “But losers together, right?”

 

Damn, it was warm in Chloe’s kitchen sometimes - Beca blinked. “Right,” she agreed, averting her eyes. With Chloe so close it was hard to remember how to act normal, how to be a friend. Not that Beca had an expertise on the matter but it certainly wasn’t as confusing with the other girls as it was with Chloe.

 

“Okay,” Chloe breathed out the same way she’d close topics of discussions during rehearsals. “ _You_ have an arrangement to work on, and _I_ have to earn that money I might owe you later.”

 

Beca grinned; “so you admit it’s more likely to be Amy.”

 

Pouting, Chloe sighed. “I admit my stubbornness might be a flaw,” she joked. “Now, go. Make me some music.”

 

Reluctantly, Beca left Chloe in the kitchen, moving to the living room where she dropped down on the couch with her coffee, her laptop, and a dumb grin she couldn’t shake off. Searching for new songs to add to the set instead of that dumb _ohhhh I’m alive I’m alive I’m alive_ , she ignored whatever Chloe was doing in the other room.

 

It worked relatively well - the avoiding-to-think-about-Chloe part, not the mixing part - until Beca realised her current headache was more likely due to a lack of hydration than to the fact that she was still stuck.

 

The problem with acquiring a glass of water, though, was that the tap was in the kitchen. Where Chloe was. On the phone.

 

Beca’s cheeks reddened even before she rose from the couch. Switching to her ipod, she cranked up the volume before taking a deep breath, and stepped into the other room.

 

She found Chloe sitting at the table, pen hovering above a hidden word puzzle. She seemed just about as interested as when Jessica talked about her future as an accountant, but she grinned widely when she noticed Beca. Running a hand through her curls she made a face and Beca replied with a grimace, cheeks still burning hot.

 

Water ran down the sink just as Beca’s heart picked up speed again (which Beca blamed on Adam Shaikh’s _Water Prayer_ instead of _that_ look in Chloe’s eyes). For a hot second, she considered muting the song and peeking into Chloe’s conversation. Chloe had just averted her eyes and now gnawed at her lower lip, somehow flustered.

 

More than anything, Beca wanted to be the cause of that, but she doubted she was. After all, Chloe kept dating very attractive people - even Vaughn, Beca had to admit, was kind of hot in his own way - and Beca was like, average.

 

And Chloe dated _hot_ people. Really, _really_ hot people. (Beca would be lying if she said she had never been slightly attracted to one of Chloe’s flings, but she would never confess that out loud. Having a crush on your crush’s crush that’s like, the ultimate loser stance.)

 

The more she thought about it and the more she felt awkward, and so it wasn’t unlike a puppy running away with its tails between its legs that she returned to the living room without even another glance at Chloe. It wasn’t long after that, though, that Chloe herself appeared at the entrance of the room, lingering at the threshold.

 

“Hey you,” Beca greeted her with as much warmth as she could muster, despite the awkwardness that seemed to be her default setting around Chloe today.

 

Chloe sighed dramatically before she plopped on the couch beside Beca. Curling up on the cushion, Chloe nuzzled her head closer until she could rest against Beca’s shoulder. Placing one arm around Chloe, Beca tried not to think how Chloe smelled nice, how her warmth against her was strangely soothing.

 

“You okay?” Beca asked when Chloe kept quiet.

 

Chloe just hummed while Beca prayed all the gods she had ever read about that Chloe wouldn’t hear her pulse or her weird breathing right now.

 

“Done working?” she tried, slightly worried.

 

“Taking a break,” Chloe answered, one hand reaching for Beca’s laptop. “Show me what you’re working on?”

 

Her breath tickled Beca’s skin uncomfortably, but Beca did her best not to show it. Instead she started playing the mix for Chloe - _Roar_ ’s chorus mixed with _My Head Is A Jungle_ (nothing new there, Chloe already knew that part by heart) and then came in the first verse of _That Power_. Chloe laughed, as she struggled to sit upright; “so you embraced the Belieber in you?”

 

Beca groaned a low “never” while she nudged Chloe with her elbow. “But Cynthia Rose got that rap down and I mean, she’s got it _down_ ,” she emphasized. Cynthia Rose might have really bad ideas when it came to choreographies, but that girl had a sense of rhythm that could (and had) render Beca speechless.

 

“That good, uh?” Chloe smiled, still pressed against Beca.

 

“It’s gonna be a great counterpart to your _Roar_ ,” Beca insisted.

 

Chloe pulled apart; “my roar?”

 

There was that glint of mischief in those blue eyes of hers; Beca swallowed hard. Sometimes things with Chloe went from disgustingly familiar to impossible to decipher and it gave Beca conversational whiplash.  

 

“You know what I mean,” Beca averted her eyes, fingers tapping on the keyboard without her actually typing anything. “You got the cute-sweet verse and then Cyn comes on with the badass rap part.”

 

“Tell me Bec,” Chloe leaned in, “is it my voice or me that you find cute and sweet?”

 

That stopped Beca’s heart for a full second, if not more. She drew in a sharp breath; “it’s impossible to have a serious conversation with you.”

 

“Maybe I was being serious,” Chloe confessed so earnestly that Beca’s guts twisted into knots.

 

She couldn’t mean - of course she couldnt. Chloe didn’t care what anyone thought of her, so why on Earth would it matter to her if Beca found her cute or not? But then _Locked Out Of Heaven_ started playing, the ringtone filling the silence, and Beca frowned.

 

“Amy?” Chloe answered her cellphone after having checked the screen for the caller’s ID, distancing herself from Beca a little. She chuckled before she shook her head; “okay, just a sec.”

 

She looked at Beca with a false disappointed look; a fake pout that made Beca roll her eyes. “The Bellas think something’s wrong because you haven’t returned their calls and texts about the choreo.”

 

“Tell them I had an accident and I’m dead,” Beca answered.

 

Chloe laughed; “well I need you to resurrect because I gotta get back to work.”

 

With a peck on Beca’s forehead, Chloe dropped the phone on Beca’s lap before she returned to the kitchen with a grin. Beca sighed in frustration - at Amy’s phone call or at Chloe’s general weirdness, she wasn’t sure - and picked up Chloe’s phone.

 

“Yeah?” she let out, only to be showered by a long monologue on why Beca was treating the different Bellas unfairly. It all boiled down to the fact that Beca had graciously agreed to use Stacie’s suggestion for the arrangement and Cynthia Rose’s moves - to which she hadn’t said yes _at all_ , that much she’d have to make clear at rehearsal later - and kept on refusing Amy’s contributions.

 

Amy agreed that the monkeys hadn’t been the best thought out strategy to win the competition, but why wouldn’t Beca devote an entire set to Savage Garden’s songs? And why did that decision also apply to INXS, AC/DC and Iggy Azalea? Did Beca have something against Australians? Beca was about to protest that there was no such thing as an Australoracist (a term that clearly no dictionary would ever mention) when the dialogue was cut short by a strange question; “Bec, whacha doing?”

 

Confusion wrinkled Beca’s forehead; it was pretty obvious what she was doing. Why was Amy asking? But then she heard it in the background behind her - Chloe loudly panting, “yes, yes don’t stop.”

 

Beca’s cheeks turned red and her mouth, dry. “Are you banging Chlo while we’re on the phone? Man that’s wild,” Amy commented - way too cheerfully than the situation granted, by the way. “It’s about time you did something about it; I always knew she wanted a piece of the Mitchell.”

 

Beca had to say something, anything ranging from _It’s not what you think_ to _didn’t you know about Chloe’s job?_ ; instead she felt her mouth dropping open.

 

Finally gauging the entire meaning of the word _dumbfounded_.

 

“Am I like, on speakerphone?” Amy continued to chat, not at all bothered by the awkwardness of it all.

 

Chloe’s moaned “ _there, oh yes you have it baby_ ” was probably not an answer - and Beca guessed turning off the phone wasn’t either. Yet that was the only thing that made sense, and so Beca didn’t hesitate one more second to cut off the connection.

 

Thankfully, Amy didn’t call back, and Beca quickly placed her headphones over her ears, pumping up the volume of her music. She hoped she wouldn’t be so flustered when Chloe would be done working in a few hours.

 

But it seemed like time wasn’t on her side, and when Chloe finally returned to the living room, Beca was almost as mortified as when she had hung up on Amy.

 

Chloe noticed right away. “You alright Beca?” she questioned gently, sitting at the other end of the couch. “Was I, um… was I too loud? I thought, with your headphones-”

 

“It’s fine,” Beca shrugged, looking away. Suddenly Chloe’s floor seemed like the most interesting thing in the world, and she tried to find symbols in the woodwork.

 

“Something’s up,” Chloe bit her lower lip, moving a tad closer. Her fingers reached up, brushing lightly against the fabric of Beca’s vest. “Was it Amy? Oh, I owe you five dollars right?”

 

Beca frowned, blinking in confusion; “what?”

 

“For the bet - the pictures,” Chloe reminded her. When Beca didn’t say anything, Chloe came closer, kneeling on the cushion beside Beca, her knees digging into her thigh. “Just tell me what’s bothering you.”

 

Chloe’s arm rested against the back of the couch behind Beca, fingers now playing with Beca’s curls. Beca ignored it, and cleared her throat; “Amy heard you,” Beca breathed out, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry Chlo.”

 

“Heard what?” Chloe wondered aloud before she understood what Beca had meant. “Oh, you mean - oh.”

 

The living room fell quiet for a moment, until Chloe shrugged and smiled. “It’s okay,” she promised. “Just because I don’t shout it from the rooftops, doesn’t mean it’s a secret either.”

 

When Beca didn’t say anything, she added in one gentle whisper; “you did nothing wrong, Bec’.”

 

“No but I did,” Beca objected, her eyes finally meeting Chloe’s. “I… she doesn’t-” it was almost too painfully embarrassing to say aloud. “Amy thought we were - that I was…”

 

Chloe’s puzzled look turned into a smirk. “What, she thought we were having sex? While you were on the phone with her?” she laughed until it brought a smile to Beca’s lips. “Wow, that’s wild.”

 

“That’s what she said,” Beca’s cheeks burned even more when she recalled the other thing Amy had told her then. About Beca finally acting on her crush for Chloe - about Chloe, maybe reciprocating her - um. _Feelings_.

 

“So the Bellas think that we-” Chloe gestured between them.

 

Beca nodded, holding her breath.

 

“And you didn’t tell them that we weren’t,” Chloe continued.

 

Shaking her head, Beca averted her eyes again.

 

“It’s okay,” Chloe grabbed Beca’s hand, intertwining their fingers almost instinctively. She squeezed lightly as she spoke; “it’ll be alright, I’ll explain everything when we get to rehearsal.”

 

A strange relief flooded her, but it came with a twitch of disappointment, too.

 

“I mean,” Chloe continued, her fingertips tracing lines down Beca’s scalp as her other hand still held her close; “it’s not like I mind people thinking I’m with you, you know? You’re kind of a catch.”

 

Beca laughed at that, emotions bubbling under the surface. “Yeah, right.”

 

“You’re _Beca_ ,” Chloe said the name with so much warmth that Beca stopped breathing again. “You’re like, really hot,” she grinned when Beca grimaced; “and so talented, and funny. You’ve got that I-don’t-care-about-anything vibe going for you, and a really kind heart. And a cute butt that’s probably as tiny as Prince’s.”

 

Beca tugged on her hand, suddenly so warm she wondered if Chloe’s apartment had caught on fire or something. “Chloe could you please shut up?”

 

Chloe only chuckled. “Is this the part where I say ‘make me’ and then you kiss me?” she asked in a low voice. “Because I think I deserve a proper kiss since we apparently spent the afternoon doing it like bunnies.”

 

“You’re the worst,” Beca’s eyes dropped to Chloe’s lips.

 

She barely noticed her hand reaching up to wrap around Chloe’s nape, and even less how she pulled her closer. But when Chloe’s eyelids fell shut, Beca did the same, her heart beating so loudly it felt like a grenade. Against her own, Chloe’s lips moved slowly, a rhythm so gentle that Beca barely dared to breathe. With her insides melting into lava it was nearly a miracle when Beca managed to lean further into the kiss, her nose brushing against Chloe.

 

A small draft of air ran down her cheek as she focused on one spot; Chloe’s lower lip, where she worried at her lip earlier. Beca felt Chloe’s mouth curling into a smile and she couldn’t help the grin that emerged then. It was like catching something mid-air once she had clumsily let it fall just seconds before, or like saving a mix that she had just finished.

 

Beca felt oddly taller.

 

“Is that okay?” Beca whispered when they pulled apart. The grenade in her chest still threatened to explode as she licked her lips absently.

 

Chloe beamed; “totes okay.”

  
How Beca could be attracted to someone who said “totes” right after an earth-shattering kiss, she had no idea.


	3. the hunt

_Explaining everything_ meant that half the rehearsal was spent _discussing_ everything.

 

(Everything but the kiss, of course – Chloe had conveniently left that part out.)

 

Whether it was Ashley wondering how Chloe had even gotten such a job to begin with – through a carefully crafted, yet very vague ad – or Stacie asking to be recommended if there ever was an opening – a request that had been followed by multiple crude jokes Beca hoped she could un-hear – Beca was starting to get annoyed.

 

And irritated.

 

And a tiny wee bit disappointed, because why had Chloe insisted that there was nothing going on between her and Beca?

 

It wasn’t like Beca wanted her to start gossiping right there in the middle of rehearsal, but Chloe’s constant – no, _relentless_ (at least that’s how it felt to Beca) – insistence that nothing had happened this afternoon was starting to feel pretty weird.

 

Like, Lilly whispering-about-unicorn-blood weird.

 

Especially since the tongue that was spewing lies now had spent most of the last hour in Beca’s mouth, so to speak – not that Beca wanted to think about _that_ while Lilly was staring at her like she was wondering how much time it would take to bury her alive.

 

Or something as equally creepy.

 

_Explaining everything_ also did not mean that the Bellas would drop the subject; once they were done questioning Chloe about her employment, they all eyed Beca suspiciously.

 

Like they _knew_ Beca was uncomfortable with it, and more importantly, _why_ she was.

 

Stacie’s smug smirk was just as odd and irksome as Cynthia Rose’s compassionate pat on Beca’s shoulder. Ashley winked as she muttered something about Beca _liking them kinky_ – what the hell – and Flo shrugged while she ranted about a cousin who worked as a gigolo to pay for his wedding. All the while, Fat Amy had moved to stand behind Chloe and gestured – as subtly as Amy could, which meant it wasn’t subtle at all – to ask Beca if she had tapped that ass yet.

 

Or at least that’s what it looked like, since Amy frantically pointed at Chloe’s ass before tapping her own butt repeatedly.

 

Beca’s only answer was her cheeks turning into a nice shade of shiny-lobster-red, and her hands digging tunnels in her pockets, as if searching for a way to escape the rehearsal studio.

 

At that, the Bellas grinned like they all shared an inside joke that Beca wasn’t getting.

 

As if Beca’s obvious discomfort was suddenly way more entertaining than the fact that their co-captain was being paid to fake orgasms on a daily basis.

 

It was pretty rude.

 

So Beca was kind of grateful when Cynthia Rose finally changed the subject to focus on the number they were supposed to be rehearsing, and more specifically on the very important, very stressful, very awkward topic of choreography.

 

And the moves she had suggested.

 

And the pictures she had sent.

 

And whether or not Beca had tried doing the spread eagle with Chloe.

 

Shiny-lobster-red became bright-fire-truck-red.

 

It seemed that this time – well, like most times –, Beca’s angry glare wasn’t enough to quiet the teasing. It was almost as if being shy of five feet wasn’t the most threatening thing in the world? Beca resented her height at the moment, and her friendship with the Bellas, and Aubrey’s absence (because this would’ve never happened in an Aubrey-rehearsal, that’s for sure), and Chloe’s shy, silent smile.

 

Okay, maybe not Chloe’s smile though, because that was really, really cute. Beca couldn’t even be mad at her when she started laughing a few seconds later, in front of Amy’s impromptu rendition of Chicago’s _He Had It Coming_. Especially not when Jessica and Ashley joined in, the three of them trying to repeat the choreography from the movie (and failing).

 

“You guys, people running into knives is a real problem,” Lilly murmured when the other girls reached that part of the song.

 

That pulled Beca out of her daze – with a dash of confusion that she tried to shake off, because Lilly always said the weirdest thing and Beca could never be sure that she had heard her quite right –, she stepped forward. “Alright that’s enough ladies,” she spoke just a bit louder than the out-of-sync, really bad singing. “We gotta get to work.”

 

While the Bellas slowly fell into place in front of Beca, Cynthia Rose raised her hand; “what about my moves?”

 

“Yeah, didn’t you like my pics?” Jessica crossed her arms. She weirdly looked like an angry teenager in that pose and Beca took a few seconds to let that image vanish from her mind.

 

Coming from behind her, Chloe let her hand snake around Beca’s waist. Her warm voice tickled Beca’s neck as she whispered in her ear; “so I guess that makes us both losers.”

 

Beca drew in a sharp breath, her cheeks reddening a little more – she didn’t even think that was possible. “Um,” she cleared her throat, trying to concentrate on the women in front of her and not on the girl beside her, who still hadn’t moved, as if personal bubbles were not a thing. “They’re kind of suggestive,” Beca started, “and we’re going for a general kids-friendly vibe with this one.”

 

That only resulted in a fight about which Disney princess was the sluttiest – really? How come half the conversations always fell back on that particular subject? Beca didn’t know much about movies but she was pretty sure none of those characters actually had sex on screen anyway.

 

Chloe managed to stop the argument in less than ten minutes, which was kind of a new record.

 

Beca made a mental note to ask her for tricks to shut the Bellas up later, because when they went at it, boy they could be talking nonsense for a while.

 

So far, the longest pointless Bella conversation had lasted an entire three-hour rehearsal and it had been about whether or not your favorite Backstreet Boy said something about your personality. _That_ , and the revelation that Chloe’s fave was Howie (really?) had stuck with Beca as one of the weirdest afternoons of her life.

 

Well, with the exception of that strange monkey thing.

 

She was so, so glad Amy had given up on that idea.

 

“Okay okay we can go back to your boring moves,” Cynthia Rose started to say, but Beca could hear that ‘but’ coming and so she was already cringing when Cynthia Rose added; “but you gotta try one of mine first.”

 

Beca frowned, but before she could protest, Chloe had already agreed. “One,” she promised, “and then no more interruptions.”

 

The Bellas shared that look that meant trouble. Of course they would pick the most suggestive one and then Beca would die of embarrassment.

 

Those girls were the worst.

 

Beca did her best to hide her worry – over time she had learned that the Bellas were like dogs or babies; they could _smell_ fear. And right now, Beca assumed that she came off to them like a poor little prey they could easily toy with.

 

(Which sadly wasn’t far from the truth.)

 

“Yeah sure,” she tried to look calm and laid back but it came out squeaky and awkward. “Whatever.”

 

As the Bellas hushed each other suggestions, Chloe’s hand slowly slipped away from her waist to poke at Beca’s side instead. “What’s that?” she then pointed towards a trolley, like the ones they had in airports for luggage, sitting suspiciously at the other end of the room, partly covered by a large blanket. It silenced everyone but Amy, who smiled and hummed mischievously.

 

Beca did not like that grin, not one bit. It was the same one Amy had on her face before she had pushed Beca into the Trebles’ pool that one time, insisting on creating a new sport that would combine water polo, Frisbees and a cappella singing.

 

She also wore it that time she had registered the Bellas into a heavy metal bands competition because she thought it would help broaden their range and vary the Bella sound. No need to say that _3 Liters of Blood_ and _Death Signal_ weren’t happy to share the stage with a bunch of girls singing a mash up of _Some Nights_ and _Fighter_.

 

Beca could’ve really used a head’s up on that one. A mix of some Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath maybe could have helped in keeping the crowd from throwing stuff at them to boo the Bellas off the stage. Then again, it probably wouldn’t have changed much – it was still a cappella, and not at all their scene. (Still, Beca’s pride had been hurt.)

 

There had been no flying Mexican food though, so it hadn’t been _that_ bad.

 

Amy pulled the trolley towards the center of the room, most of the Bellas moving away to keep a safe distance (remembering the exploding cake incident of 2012). She then proceeded to walk in circles around it, showcasing its hidden content with grand gestures, like it was some amazing thing that would blow their minds and change their lives forever.

 

Beca really, really wished it wasn’t something that would change their lives forever.

 

“I got a surprise for you girls,” Amy sang, evidently excited.

 

That did not bode well.

 

When Amy finally pulled on the blanket – after having requested a drum roll that no one agreed to perform because they were too busy cringing at the thought of what could be hiding under there – she revealed... a terrarium.

 

Filled with green leaves and a long branch, it looked like a small jungle in a glass case.

 

“Ta-dam,” Amy cheered.

 

Beca frowned. “What the hell?” she stepped closer, trying to see if something was moving in there, but not seeing anything. “Amy I said no live animals on stage,” she repeated, guessing the purpose of whatever that was supposed to be.

 

“Snakes aren’t animals, Beca,” Amy rolled her eyes like Beca had said the most stupidest thing ever. “They don’t have spines.”

 

That kind of Amy logic was going to be the death of her.

 

“Snakes?” Chloe breathed out, an unusual panic laced with her words. “There are snakes in there?”

 

“Just the one,” Amy nodded proudly. “I call him Sammy. For Samuel. Get it?”

 

Jessica had kneeled in front of the terrarium, her head angled to the side. “Because of the _Snakes on a Plane_ movie?” she guessed.

 

“I’ve had it with these motherfucking snakes,” Amy, Jessica and Ashley started to quote it in unison, “on this motherfucking plane.”

 

Another movie reference Beca didn’t really get; she sighed in annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose. Where on Earth had Amy found a snake? Had she always had a snake and they just didn’t know about it? Or would Beca have to track down its rightful owner like that time Amy decided to create a petting zoo as a fundraising event?

 

(Beca had to admit they had raised a lot of money with those puppies, though.)

 

She turned to ask Chloe that very question when she noticed that Chloe had her eyes locked on the terrarium, her skin rapidly paling as if all her blood was draining out of her.

 

Beca’s guts twitched uncomfortably. “You okay Chlo?”

 

But Chloe didn’t move, even as Beca stepped closer to her. “I don’t, um,” she blinked and swallowed hard, evidently scared. “I don’t like snakes very much.”

 

“Oh Sammy’s a teddy bear,” Amy smiled brightly.

 

“I think dancing with bears would be more impressive,” Lilly argued.

 

Beca had an odd sense of déjà vu; there was no way she was going to spend another night explaining why they would not – not now, not _ever_ – dance with animals on stage. Was it really so hard to understand?

 

“Guys, I said no animals,” Beca repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.

 

But Amy already had her hand into the terrarium, searching for the damned creature. Since she had her back turned, Beca couldn’t see her facial expression, but she could very well picture it when Amy let out a quiet “uh-oh.”

 

Beside Beca, Chloe tensed even more.

 

“It’s cool, it’s cool,” Amy lifted her empty hands in the air as she turned around with a sheepish grin. “So it looks like Sammy-boy went for a walk. Well, for a crawl.”

 

Amy just shrugged as the Bellas started to look around them frantically – apart from Flo who cleaned her nails, muttering something about having an anaconda as a pet for five years.

 

“Oh my God,” Beca facepalmed, more irritated than scared, “are you serious?”

 

Unfortunately, Amy was. “We just gotta bribe him out of hiding, no biggie,” Amy suggested before she turned her attention onto the other Bellas. “Anybody has a live mouse on them? No?”

 

As questions fired – from _is it poisonous_ to _what colour is it_ – the Bellas all kept their eyes on the floor, each of them silently searching for any sign of the snake. Stacie and Cynthia Rose had taken to checking under the bleachers, and Beca would’ve joined them if she hadn’t noticed Chloe first.

 

Chloe who looked like she was about to pass out.

 

“Hey Chlo,” Beca brushed a hand against her elbow, trying to be comforting. But it only seemed to startle Chloe and she pulled apart, frightened. “Woa, sorry...”

 

Her teeth worrying at her lip, Chloe didn’t spare Beca a look. “I can’t stay here,” she breathed out with a broken voice that pierced through Beca’s chest painfully. “I don’t like snakes.”

 

“Yeah, they’re pretty gross,” Beca agreed, strangely pulled towards Chloe again.

 

She would almost forget that they weren’t alone if it wasn’t for Flo tapping on her thighs and calling out the snake’s name like one would a dog. “Come here Sammy,” Flo tried again and again, “come here boy.”

 

Beca rolled her eyes – clearly they would get _nothing_ done today. “I’m gonna call campus security,” Beca decided, “maybe they can get Animal Control to take care of this.”

 

She was about to walk away when Chloe’s hand grabbed hers, squeezing so hard that it hurt. “Don’t go,” Chloe nearly begged, her eyes finding Beca’s.

 

Filled with water, they silently implored Beca not to go anywhere, as if Chloe wouldn’t be able to bear it. Beca’s heart stopped, and not in a hot Chloe’s-hand-is-on-my-thigh kind of way.

 

It was more of a shit-shit-shit-Chloe-needs-me-and-I’m-not-good-at-this situation.

 

“Woa, um, okay,” Beca blinked, suddenly awkward. She stayed there, her hand in Chloe’s, unsure of what to do.

 

And certainly any other human being would be doing a better job than Beca right now, because all she was doing was sweating profusely and she had no idea why Chloe wasn’t letting go of her hand because eww.

 

She wanted to wipe it on her jeans so bad. Gross.

 

Instead of focusing on whatever was happening with Chloe, Beca tried to understand how the hell they had gotten in this situation to begin with. “Amy why the hell did you bring–” she stopped herself before she said the word _snake_ , guessing it wouldn’t help with Chloe’s phobia, “ _Sammy_ to rehearsal?”

 

“We’re supposed to be in a _jungle_ Beca,” Amy shook her head like it was obvious why they needed a snake to complete their set, “there are _snakes_ in a jungle. Like, _everywhere_. On the ground, in the water, falling from trees–”

 

“Okay okay I get it,” Beca interrupted as she felt Chloe’s fingers grinding the bones of her hands and pulling her closer.

 

“Beca I can’t stay here,” Chloe was nearly crying as her head came to rest against Beca’s.

 

Beca’s poor heart wasn’t used to beating so hard and was starting to hurt. Beca absently wondered if it would be sore tomorrow, like any other muscle would.

 

But maybe it wasn’t the time to question whether the heart was a muscle or just an organ and why she couldn’t remember anything from her bio classes.

 

“It’s okay, you’re safe,” Beca promised. Mostly because knowing Amy, there was a fifty per cent chance that she had actually brought an empty terrarium to begin with. “I’m a natural snake repellant,” she added with a smile.

 

Chloe chuckled ever so slightly. “You are?”

 

“Hm-mm,” Beca nodded as her other arm wrapped itself around Chloe, pulling her into a hug. “It’s my special power.”

 

It felt warm, too warm, but a bit less awkward. She smelled Chloe’s perfume and closed her eyes for a second, forgetting about the snake hunt and focusing on remaining calm. She guessed Chloe needed a zen-version of Beca right now, and not the tiny-fighter-Beca that wanted to scream that it was really rude to put Chloe through that kind of anxiety – even though no one knew before now that she had a snake phobia.

 

“So you’re some kind of superhero,” Chloe whispered against Beca’s ear.

 

Um, maybe Beca wasn’t supposed to feel all tingly and happy all of a sudden. “Totally,” she agreed anyway, her eyes now absently gazing at the Bellas still searching for that goddamn snake.

 

She really had to keep her emotions under check, otherwise she would do one of three things; walk out the door, punch Amy, or kiss Chloe into oblivion.

 

The latter was really tempting. Especially when Chloe’s hand was pressed against her lower back like Beca was her lifeboat.

 

It just made everything feel that much more intense.

 

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Stacie came out from under the bleachers, holding onto the snake with her two hands, lifting it in the air like it was the lion king in that first movie (Beca had kind of liked that one, but could never watch it past _Hakuna Mattata_ ).

 

“Is that it?” Stacie asked, as if there could be another snake crawling around their rehearsal space. _Of course that was Sammy_ , Beca wanted to yell. Instead she held onto Chloe harder.

 

“It’s fine,” Beca murmured to Chloe when she tensed again, “you’re fine.”

 

She waited until Sammy was back in its terrarium to let go, but Chloe didn’t. It felt like one of those baby sloths desperately grabbing some human’s shoulders and hanging against their chest, except in this case the sloth was that much taller than the human and the human had no idea what to do with the sloth.

 

Really it was just awkward, but oddly okay, because it was Chloe, and if Chloe needed to be a sloth than Beca would be her human.

 

Or whatever.

 

“Uh guys, what did I miss?” Cynthia Rose asked, pointing at Chloe and Beca still locked in that tight embrace that made Beca wish the Bellas would leave them alone for once.

 

“Beca thinks Chloe’s _fine_ ,” Jessica joked.

 

It was a matter of seconds before the others joined in; “oh we all knew _that_ ,” Stacie agreed as Ashley mocked; “do you think they need a moment?”

 

“Shut up,” Beca felt her cheeks reddening again as Chloe chuckled against her. “Chlo, help me out here,” she tried to push her away but Chloe nearly clawed at her back, now both arms holding onto her.

 

At least now Beca could wipe her gross hand, so that was a good step forward.

 

“You’re the captain,” Chloe childishly whined.

 

Beca groaned. “Well you’re the co-captain,” she insisted, her hands still pushing against Chloe’s hips, although she had to admit she wasn’t trying all that hard to get rid of Chloe.

 

In fact she might’ve been pulling more than pushing, but no one could prove that.

 

“Can we ever get anything done?” Beca protested one last time.

 

“Well I could show you the choreography I worked on with Sammy,” Amy suggested before the rest of the Bellas shouted a tons of _no_ ’s and _don’t_ ’s at. “Fine,” Amy pouted, her index knocking against the glass of the terrarium as if trying to catch Sammy’s attention. “Be boring white girls then.”

 

Cynthia Rose and Flo looked at each other incredulously before they turned to stare at Beca; “oh my God, is she for real?”

 

But Beca didn’t have the energy to put up with yet another argument, and so instead of scolding Amy like she normally would, Beca surrendered. She reached for the keys of the studio in her pocket; “alright I give up.”

 

She threw the keys at Cynthia Rose; “you girls pack up and lock the door on your way out,” she instructed with her best captain-like voice, “I’m gonna take Chloe home.”

 

“Ohhh Beca’s taking Chloe _home_ ,” the Bellas teased.

 

_Children_ , all of them.

 

Granting them an answer would only encourage the mocking, and so Beca walked towards the exit instead, Chloe silently tagging along. How her hand had found Beca’s again, she had no idea – but she didn’t really mind as much. At least this time it didn’t hurt, and Beca had almost managed to keep that sweating problem under control.

 

 

As soon as they reached the sidewalk Chloe let out a long breath, closing her eyes and starting to smile as if she hadn’t enjoyed the fresh air in days.

 

“Thank you,” she whispered once her bright eyes opened again, finding Beca’s.

 

She didn’t really know what to say, but once Chloe’s lips fell on hers, Beca guessed that Chloe hadn’t been expecting an answer anyway. She tried not to grin into the kiss, her stomach twisting in anticipation when Chloe’s other hand cupped her cheek.

 

Amongst all the odd things that had happened to Beca since she had joined the Bellas, perhaps what was weirdest was how _normal_ kissing Chloe felt.

 

Not the boring _we-might-as-well-do-this-thing_ kind of normal.

 

The _those-two-beats-flow-together-perfectly_ kind.

 

And well, that was pretty weird.

 

(But definitely in a good way.)


End file.
